501st Time.
In case I haven't mentioned it here 500 or so times, we have Slice & Serve scheduled for this Saturday, the 19th. And basically, this simply means that we will sell slices of pie for $3 each all day long.
Today alone, I had someone ask me about the event while I was filling up my car with gas. And two others ask me about it while I was grocery shopping. And finally, a few people emailed me questions about it. Suffice it to say, I think the word is starting to spread. Here's the FAQ:
Q: Why create an event called Slice and Serve? A: Excellent question and we have two reasons, so here they are: 1) people new to PJP ask us all the time if we serve slices of pie. Columbia is expecting 400,000 visitors this weekend for the eclipse, so now we can just save our spiel about the baby pies to those new pie fans that might visit us and just say "YES, WE SERVE SLICES". 2) Jeanne and I are idea people, partly for the creativity of coming up with it and partly for the drama of executing it...so events like this keep us engaged in evolving the PJP brand. Which is just jargon for "gives us something interesting to do".
Q: How are an extra 400,000 people going to fit in this town next weekend? A: I have no idea, but I feel like we could have rented out the PJP Compound for a few nights on AirBnB for an obscene amount of cash, thereby funding the purchase fund for the VMS 153. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of this earlier.
Q: So what's the plan? Are you really making EVERY pie on your menu? A: At last count, I believe we have 28 different types of pie in our planning notebook. We will cover the popular (the Dutch Apple and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan) and the esoteric (the Sour Cream Raisin and Lemon Chiffon)...and everything in between. We are baking nine-inch pies and slicing them each into six generous slices, so the trick now is to figure out how many of each flavor to make (something tells me we will sell more Caramel Apple than Gooseberry).
Q: Is there a guarantee that my favorite will be available? A: Sadly not. Due to interest in this event, we won't be able to take pre-orders or hold pie slices for pick up. Every slice is first-come, first-serve. Our goal, as always, is just to have fun and be considerate of our fellow pie fans.
Q: Can I make a flavor suggestion to be included on Saturday? A: Sure! Give us a call or drop a comment here or on our Facebook page. We will definitely take suggestions under consideration.
Q: Are we supposed to eat our slice on a plate in the foyer of PJP...or what? A: Well, you are always welcome to sit on our bench and enjoy your pie and talk to us. But that said, we did order pie slice containers, so you can load up your favorites and take them home without balancing your slices on a paper plate. Or without driving with a slice of Chocolate Cream on a napkin in your lap. Because that would be stressful.
Q: Is this all day on Saturday or what? A: We open at 10:30 and close at 4 on Saturdays. Our goal is to slice and serve all day, but as we approach the later hours, the flavor options will likely become less as we work to sell out. The slices won't apply to the half-off rule we normally implement at 3 pm on Saturdays. All leftovers will be donated to the local Ronald McDonald House and the local firefighter stations (which is normally what we do on Saturdays).
Q: Are you only selling slices on Saturday? A: We are making nine-inch pies to sell in the storefront. We won't make any babies for the storefront though.
Q: How many questions can there be about this event? A: Apparently, a lot.
Q: Are you and Team PJP looking forward to this Saturday? A: Absolutely! As a rule, we all enjoy the creativity, the planning, and the unknown that comes with something new. And if it works well, we plan to add in on a regular basis so that it becomes even more fun and less chaotic.
Q: What are you going to do on Sunday and Monday? A: Not leave the PJP Compound. Though...if someone wants to rent it in trade for a cash down payment on the VMS 153, well...